Date harvesting device

ABSTRACT

A flexible conveyor tube has intermediate points interconnected by tension springs which draw the points together and configure the tube into a plurality of consecutive loops. One end of the tube has a gathering funnel and the other end is provided with a closure and a pull line. The springs vary in strength from strongest at the closure to least strong at the funnel. The funnel is adapted to be connected to a date tree disposed about a bunch of dates, with the looped tube suspended in depending relation. Dates gravitate into and are held in the uppermost loop. A pull on the line elongates the uppermost spring and varies the configuration of the uppermost loop so that the dates gravitate therefrom into the next loop. Additional pull varies the configuration of the consecutive loops sequentially and controls the speed of gravitational movement of the dates. After the dates are in the lowermost loop, the closure is opened to discharge the dates into a container. A plurality of gathering funnels can be connected to the upper end of the tube for harvesting the pickings of several pickers.

United States Patent Castrellon [54] DATE HARVESTING DEVICE [72]Inventor: Salvador C. Castration, P0. Box

l1 l9, lndio, Calif. 92201 221 Filed: Jan.1l,197l

211 ApplNo; 105,542

[52] US. Cl. ..l93/7, 193/25 R, 193/27, 193/32, 248/51 [51] Int.Cl..-....B65g 11/10, 865g 11/18, 865g 11/20 [58] Field of Search ..193/2A, 7, 25, 27, 32; 191/12 R; 248/5l,52

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 495,955 4/1893 Bouvier193/25 E 2,740,153 4/1956 Bishop ..302/64 X 1,456,093 5/1923 Carlson..248/51 X 3,326,345 6/1967 Stafiend et a] ..193/7 Primary Examiner-EvenG. Blunk Assistant Examiner- W. Scott Carson Attorney-John H. Crowe andPeter H. Firsht it Aug. 15,1972

[57] ABSTRACT A flexible conveyor tube has intermediate pointsinterconnected by tension springs which draw the points together andconfigure the tube into a plurality of consecutive loops. One end of thetube has a gathering funnel and the other end is provided with a closureand a pull line. The springs vary in strength from strongest at theclosure to least strong at the funnel. The funnel is adapted to beconnected to a date tree disposed about a bunch of dates, with thelooped tube suspended in depending relation. Dates gravitate into andare held in the uppermost loop. A pull on the line elongates theuppermost spring and varies the configuration of the uppermost loop sothat the dates gravitate therefrom into the next loop. Additional pullvaries the configuration of the consecutive loops sequentially andcontrols the speed of gravitational movement of the dates. After thedates are in the lowermost loop, the closure is opened todischarge thedates into a container. A plurality of gathering funnels can beconnected to the upper end of the tube for harvesting the pickings ofseveral pickers.

4 Claims, 7'Drawing Figures PATENTEDAU: I s 1912 SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR.14114190! 6 (4174917104! ELM/$ 0 M Arrae/vn DATE HARVESTING DEVICEBACKGROUND OF INVENTION:

The present invention relates to conveyors and more particularly to aharvesting device for conveying dates by gravity from elevated points toa container on the ground or other lower level, the conveying beingperformed without bruising or otherwise injuring the fruit.

Tubular conveyors of various types have been proposed for harvestingdifferent kinds of fruit. Before the advent of the present invention,attempts have been made to harvest dates mechanically but they have notmet with success. As is probably well-known, data trees grow toconsiderable heights with the bunches of dates sometimes as much asfifty to sixty feet above the ground level. The use of prior art devicesin such cases has not been satisfactory because the dates descend toorapidly, resulting in injury to the dates. At times, malfunctions wouldoccur because of clogging and no provision for shaking the dates loose.Thus, prior to the present invention, the practice has generally beenfor datepickers to climb up a ladder to the vicinity of a date bunch,the picker carrying several empty cans, or the like, and a line or rope.After securing himself safely to the tree, dates were picked into a canwhich was then lowered to the ground by the rope. When the cans had beenfilled and lowered, more cans were needed. In the case where the pickerwas assisted by a helper on the ground, it was no problem to attach anempty can to be pulled up by the picker. However, the picker oftenworked alone and had to hook an empty can after having lowered a filledcan. Frequently, it required several tries before the empty can washooked securely enough to be drawn up to the picker. Obviously, thisprocedure was time-consuming, laborious and fatiguing, with an adverseeffect on the pickers production of the amount of dates harvested in agiven day.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present inventionto provide a novel date harvesting device of simple construction whichoperates in a reliable manner to deliver relatively large quantities ofdates in sound condition.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel conveyortube of predetermined configuration to which motion can be selectivelyimparted varying such configuration and thereby controlling the movementof articles passing through the tube.

A further object is to provide a novel conveyor tube selectivelyconfigured to control the speed of movement of articles therethrough fordelivery of the articles in sound condition.

Still another object is to provide a novel conveyor tube configured intoa plurality of consecutive loops through which articles move by force ofgravity, the speed of movement being governed by varying theconfiguration of the loops sequentially from the uppermost to thelowermost loop.

A still further object is to provide a novel conveyor tube in accordancewith the immediately preceding object which is especially adapted forconveying dates from a bunch on a tree to a container on the ground, thetube being configured into loops by means of tension springs which varyin strength from loop to loop so that a pull on the lower end of thetube operates to vary the configuration of the loops sequentially,beginning with the uppermost loop, for controlling speed of movement ofthe dates through the tube for delivery, in a minimum time, of arelatively large amount of dates.

These and other objects and advantages are achieved by the provision ofa novel conveyor tube having a gathering funnel at one end and a closureand pull line at the other end. The conveyor tube is made up of aplurality of flexible sections which are detachably connected togetherby coupling sleeves. Interconnecting the funnel, the coupling sleevesand the closure are a plurality of tension springs which configure thetube to a plurality of consecutive loops. The springs vary in tensionfrom strongest at the closure to least strong at the funnel. Theconveyor tube is adapted to be suspended from a date tree with thefunnel disposed about a date bunch from which dates gravitate into theuppermost loop. A pull on the tube is effective to elongate the springssequentially, beginning with the uppermost spring, for varying theconfiguration of the loops and permitting gravitation of the datesthrough the tube at controlled rates of speed. Opening of the closurepermits discharge of the dates from the lowermost loop. A plurality offunnels can be coupled to the conveyor tube so that several date pickerscan be employed for speeding up harvesting of the dates. The number oftube sections in the conveyor tube depends upon the height of the datetree. Unneeded tube sections and associated tension springs areuncoupled from the lower portion of the conveyor tube, the 010 sure andpull line being detached from the longer length conveyor tube andreattached to the shorter one. For very tall trees, tube sections areadded as necessary.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view showing a picker in a date tree andillustrating use of a novel device embodying the principles of thepresent invention for harvesting dates picked by the picker.

FIG. 2 is a larger scale view of the harvesting device.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view of the upper end ofthe harvesting device, showing the gathering funnel and support chains.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary side view of an intermediate portionof the harvesting device, showing a coupling sleeve interconnectingadjacent ends of a pair of conveyor tube sections.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary side view of the lower end of theharvesting device, showing the closure sleeve and pull line.

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary side view of a portion of the harvesting device,illustrating a variation in the configuration of a loop in the conveyortube for controlling movement of dates therethrough.

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view showing a pair of gatheringfunnels adapted to be coupled to the upper end of the conveyor tube forharvesting the pickings of several date pickers.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIG. 1 a date tree T and aladder L supporting a worker or date picker P in the vicinity of a datebunch or cluster C, the worker being provided with a saddle or seat Sand link attachment chains A adapted to be hooked to branches of thetree. For harvesting the dates, the picker makes use of a novel devicewhich embodies the principles of the present invention and consistsessentially of an elongated conveyor tube 12 having a gathering funnel14 at its upper end and a closure 16 at its lower end to which a pullline 18 is attached. Pull on the line can'be exerted by any suitablemeans, such as a winch W, or by hand, for drawing the closure down to acontainer such as a box B. As will later be made more clear, dates arecaused to gravitate down the conveyor tube and be discharged therefrominto the container upon opening of the closure.

As better seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the gathering funnel 14 is providedwith a wire handle or bail 20 to which a supporting link chain 22 isconnected. The chain is provided with a plier clamp 24 adapted to grip abranch of the date tree and with a spring snap hook 25 for adjusting theeffective length of the chain. In the interests of safety, there is alsoprovided a safety chain 26 connected to the rim of the funnel. The chain26 has a harness snap hook 28 which is adapted to be connected to a linkof the attachment chain A for preventing the funnel from falling to theground in the event that the plier clamp should lose its grip.

The funnel 14 is provided with a coupling sleeve 30 to which the upperend of the conveyor tube 12 is coupled by means of a conventional bandclamp 32 of the type that is constricted about the tube and sleeve forholding them together. Secured to the sleeve is a perforated connectortab 34 to which one end of a tension spring 36 is hooked. The other endof the spring is hooked to a perforated connector tab 38 on a couplingsleeve 40, best seen in FIG. 4. There are a plurality of couplingsleeves 40 and associated with each are a pair of constricting bandclamps 42 similar to clamp 32. As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyor tube 12is made up of a plurality of tube sections 44 adjacent ends of which arecoupled to the sleeves 40 by the clamps 42. Additional tension springs46, 48 and 50 interlink the connector tabs on the coupling sleeves.Terminal tension spring 52 interconnects the lowermost couplingsleeve'40 and the closure 16. The closure is in the form of a sleeve 54having pivoted thereto, as at 56, a lid 58 with a snap hook latch 60, asshown in FIG. 5. The sleeve 54 is coupled to its associated tube section44 by means of a constricting band clamp 62. The sleeve is also providedwith a connector tab 64 which is similar to the connector tab 38. Anattachment bracket 66 on the sleeve serves for connection of the pullline 18 thereto.

The aforedescribed connection of the tension springs 36, 46, 48, 50 and52 interconnects spaced points on the conveyor tube 12 and serves todraw the points together in predetermined proximal relationship forforming the tube sections 44 into hook-shaped loops substantially asshown in FIG. 1. When a tension spring is elongated, as by a pullthereon, the spaced points it interconnects are disposed in a distalrelationship and the configuration of the loop of the associated tubesection 44 is varied for changing the slope of the loop, as shown indotted lines on FIG. 6, so that any articles, such as dates D, in thelower portion of the loop can gravitate therefrom into the lower portionof the next loop.

The springs 36, 46, 48, 50 and 52 vary in tensional strength and aregraduated in strength from least strong in the uppermost or initial loopto strongest in the lowermost or terminal loop. Typically, each tubesection 44 consists of a lofoot'length of wire-reinforced thin plastictubing having a diameter of 4 to 5 inches and the tension differentialin the springs is about three pounds, with about 19 pounds for spring36, 22 pounds for spring 46, 25 pounds for spring 48, and so on. Fortaller trees, tube sections are added as necessary, the sleeve 54 thenbeing reattached to the lowermost end of the added tube sections. Forshorter trees, the procedure is reversed.

It is believed that the operation of the date harvesting device of thepresent invention is clearly apparent and is briefly summarized at thispoint. With the harvesting device 10 relates to a date tree T, as shownin FIG. 1, the gathering funnel 14 being disposed about a date cluster Cand the pull line 18 in the hand of an assistant or connected to a winchW, the worker or date picker P picks or shakes dates from the cluster,the dates gravitating down into the loop of the uppermost tube section44, the lower portion of which receives and holds dates D, as shown inFIG. 6. When there are about 20-25 pounds of dates in the loop, thepicker signals an assistant, not shown, who exerts a pull on the line,causing the uppermost spring 36 to stretch or elongate and increase thevertical spacing between the upper and lower ends of the loop of theassociated tube section. This causes the lower end portion of the tubesection, formerly inclined, now to slope downwardly and the force ofgravity will cause the dates to slide past, down into the next tubesection. With continued pull on the line 18, the remaining tensionsprings are elongated in sequence and the dates gravitate from tubesection to tube section until they are received and held in the loop ofthe tube section associated with the closure 16. As necessary, the pullline is jerked or oscillated to shake or jiggle the conveyor tube andovercome any tendency of the dates to clog therein during descent. Thedevice is dimensioned and the container C is located so that when thedates are in the lowermost loop, the closure itself is over thecontainer, after which the latch is unlatched and the closure lid 58 isswung open for discharge of the dates into the container. Obviously, therate of pull on the line governs the rate of elongation of the tensionsprings, so that controlling the rate of elongation controls the rate ofmovement of the dates through the tube, whereby high speeds can beavoided and damage to the dates or other fruit by friction or too rapida descent is prevented.

The present invention also contemplates the use of a plurality ofgathering funnels with each conveyor tube for harvesting the combinedefforts of several pickers. For this purpose, as shown in FlG. 7, thepreviously described gathering funnel 14 is replaced with a tubularY-connection 68, the upper ends of the tension spring 36 and tubesection 44 being connected to one leg thereof. The other legs of theY-connection are coupled to the lower ends of a pair of tube sections44', the other ends of which are coupled to a pair of gathering funnels14, each having a wire bail 20, a support chain 22' with a plier clamp24' and spring snap hook 25', and a safety chain 26 with a harness snaphook 28'. The ends of each tube section 44' are interconnected by atension spring 70.

In operation, the gathering funnels 14' are disposed about date clustersand the chains of the funnels are appropriately attached. Each pickerharvests dates from the cluster, which descend from his gathering funnel14' are are received and held in the lower portion of 5 the associatedtube section 44'. When a sufficient amount of dates has accumulated inthe tube section, about to 15 pounds, the faster picker signals theassistant on the ground to pull on the line 18 and vary theconfiguration of the tube sections to position the power portionsthereof in declining relation so that the dates gravitate from the tubesections through the Y- connection 68 and into the tube section 44.Thereafter, the procedure is the same as previously described inconnection with a single gathering funnel.

There has thus been provided a device especially designed for harvestingdates in a rapid and reliable manner under the control of an operatorwho can selectively determine the speed of descent of the dates througha conveyor tube for obviating damage to the dates during descent andassuring delivery thereof into a container at ground level in soundcondition.

Although the present invention has been herein shown and described inconsiderable detail in what is believed to be the most practical andpreferred embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that manyvariations thereof are possible and that the present invention is not tobe limited to such details but is to be considered in its broadestaspects and accorded the full scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is desired to be secured by LettersPatent is:

1. A device for conveying articles comprising:

a flexible conveyor tube having support means at one end thereof forsuspending the tube in depending relation for movement of the articlestherethrough by gravitational force; i

a plurality of resilient linking means interconnecting vertically spacedpoints on the tube and configuring a portion of the tube into aplurality of consecutive loops adapted to receive and hold articlesgravitating thereinto, the resilience of the linking means beinggraduated along the length of the tube;

' and means attached to the tube for elongating the resilient linkingmeans for increasing the vertical spacing of said points and varying theconfiguration of the loops for gravitation of the articles therefrom.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of linking meansincludes tension springs which vary in tension from least in theuppermost linking means to greatest in the lowermost linking means.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the lower end of the tube is attachedto a pull line effective to vary the configuration of the loopssequentially beginning with the uppermost loop.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said one end of the tube is providedwith a coupling sleeve for connecting a gathering funnel thereto and theother end of the tube has a coupling sleeve with a closure and a pullline, said tube includes a plurality of tube sections between the funneland the closure having ends coupled together by coupling sleeves, andtension springs linking said coupling sleeves and forming the tubesections into consecutive loops, said springs varying ll'l tension from

1. A device for conveying articles comprising: a flexible conveyor tubehaving support means at one end thereof for suspending the tube independing relation for movement of the articles therethrough bygravitational force; a plurality of resilient linking meansinterconnecting vertically spaced points on the tube and configuring aportion of the tube into a plurality of consecutive loops adapted toreceive and hold articles gravitating thereinto, the resilience of thelinking means being graduated along the length of the tube; and meansattached to the tube for elongating the resilient linking means forincreasing the vertical spacing of said points and varying theconfiguration of the loops for gravitation of the articles therefrom. 2.The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of linking means includestension springs which vary in tension from least in the uppermostlinking means to greatest in the lowermost linking means.
 3. The deviceof claim 2, wherein the lower end of the tube is attached to a pull lineeffective to vary the configuration of the loops sequentially beginningwith the uppermost loop.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein said one endof the tube is provided with a coupling sleeve for connecting agathering funnel thereto and the other end of the tube has a couplingsleeve with a closure and a pull line, said tube includes a plurality oftube sections between the funnel and the closure having ends coupledtogether by coupling sleeves, and tension springs linking said couplingsleeves and forming the tube sections into consecutive loops, saidsprings varying in tension from least in the uppermost loop to greatestin the lowermost loop.